AR-Obol, Jerusalem?; 0,5 g.

Helmeted head of Athena to r.//Owl standing to r., head facing, in l. field olive twig, YHDH (Judaea) in the r. field. Hendin no. 1051; Meshorer, Treasury 197 no. 4.

Rare. Fine Overbeck – Meshorer no. 1.

AR-Hemiobol, Jerusalem?; 0,31 g.

Bearded head of the Persian king crowned with a kidaris (jagged crown) to r.//Falcon or eagle with spread wings, in the r. field YHDH (Judaea). Hendin no. 1059; Meshorer, Treasury 198 no. 16.

Rare. Fine/nearly very fine

Overbeck – Meshorer no. 2.

The eagle (or falcon) was the Achaemenids' heraldic bird. According to a mythic tradition the dynasty’s founder was nurtured by an eagle; cf. W. Fauth, Gyges und die 'Falken', Hermes 96, 1968, 257-264, esp. 259; R. Schmitt, Der Adler im Alten Iran, Die Sprache 16, 1970, 63-77; D. Metzler, Der Adler als achämenidisches Herrschaftszeichen, in: Vom Euphrat bis zum Bosporus. Kleinasien in der Antike. Festschrift für E. Schwertheim zum 65. Geburtstag, Bonn 2008, 461-470.

AR-Hemiobol, Jerusalem?; 0,29 g.

Bearded head of the Persian king crowned with a kidaris (jagged crown) to r.//Falcon with spread wings, in the r. field YHDH (Judaea). Hendin no. 1059; Meshorer, Treasury 198 no. 16.

Rare. Fine/nearly very fine Overbeck – Meshorer no. 3.

AR-Hemiobol, Jerusalem; 0,21 g.

Head of a lion to r., degraded to the shape of an egg or pellet///YHWDH (Yehudah = Judaea) around a dove standing to r., head turned back. Hendin no. 1075c; Meshorer, Treasury 200 no. 27.

Fine/good fine

Overbeck – Meshorer no. 8.

The species of the bird depicted is under discussion (dove, eagle, duck?), cf. Hendin 119 f., who tended to identify the bird as a duck and to link it to duck-shaped scale weights used by Babylonians and Egyptians. If the bird is a dove, this could be a pointer that the coin was minted not in Jerusalem but in a city with significant cults of Herakles (lion) and Aphrodite (dove).

AR-Hemiobol, Jerusalem?; 0,33 g.

Head of a lion to r., degraded to the shape of an egg or pellet///YHWDH (Yehudah = Judaea) around a dove standing to r., head turned back. Hendin no. 1075c; Meshorer, Treasury 200 no. 27a.

Very fine Overbeck – Meshorer no. 9.

Ptolemy I, 305-282 BCE. AR-Hemiobol, Jerusalem; 0,24 g.

Plain (?)//YHZQYH left of an owl standing to r., head facing; its feathers around its head form a nimbus-like object, HR?H (Yehezeqiyah the governour) to the right of it. Hendin no. 1069; Meshorer, Treasury 199 no. 22.

Very rare in this nice state of preservation. Obv. plain as usual; rev. very fine

Overbeck – Meshorer no. 4.

It is worth considering whether the mentioned governor Yehezeqiyah is to be identified with the high priest ?ζεκ?ας mentioned by Josephus, Contra Apionem I 22, 9.

Ptolemy II, 285-246 BCE. AR-Quarter Obol, 272/260 BCE?, Jerusalem; 0,19 g.

Diademed head of Ptolemy I to r.//YHWD (Yehud = Judaea); eagle standing on a thunderbolt to l. Hendin no. 1087; Lorber, Ptolemaic Empire I 388 no. 711; Meshorer, Treasury 200 no. 32.

Nearly very fine Overbeck – Meshorer no. 7.

Ptolemy II, 285-246 BCE. AR-Quarter Obol, 272/260 BCE?, Jerusalem; 0,09 g.

Diademed head of Ptolemy I to r.//YHWDH (Yehud = Judaea); eagle standing on a thunderbolt to l. Hendin no. 1087; Lorber, Ptolemaic Empire I 388 no. 711; Meshorer, Treasury 200 no. 32.

Partly broken away, fine

Overbeck – Meshorer 6.

Ptolemy II, 285-246 BCE AR-Hemidrachm, 261/0 BCE?, Jerusalem; 1,75 g.

Diademed head of Ptolemy I to r.//YHDH (Yehudah = Judaea) and BA(σιλ?ως = [coin of] the king); eagle standing on a thunderbolt to l. Hendin no. 1084 («RRR»); Lorber, Ptolemaic Empire I 388 no. 712.

Extremely rare, so that exactly this coin is referred to in the relevant literature. Broad flan, nicely centered, very fine

Overbeck – Meshorer no. 5 and 23 with enlarged photo = Lorber, Ptolemaic Empire I 388 no. 712 ('This unique coin is of exceptionally fine style for the Judah series. The dies were probably commissioned from outside the mint. The idealized portrait of Ptolemy I reflects changes to his iconography at all mint s following the reform of 261/0.'); Meshorer, Treasury 200 no. 31 an plate 4 with enlarged photo of this coin. Solely due to its weight this coin forms an exception from the other coins issued by the Ptolemies: For the character of this coinage cf. Hendin, Jewish Coinage, 124: 'The Yehud coins ... of the Ptolemaic period are local mint Ptolemaic issues. All of the coins of the Yehud series are fractional units, mostly lighter than one gram, and there is not a single full unit coin (shekel or stater) known to exist'.

John Hyrcanus I, 135-104 BCE. Æ-Prutah, Jerusalem; 2,02 g.

A (Greek letter) above the paleo-Hebrew inscription YHW?NN HKHN HGDL W??R HYHWDYM (Yehohanan the High Priest and the Jews’ Council) within a wreath//Two cornucopiae, between them a pomegranate. Hendin no. 1132; Meshorer, Treasury 201 Group A.

Nearly very fine

Overbeck – Meshorer no. 50.

For the meaning of the wreaths which frequently appear on coins of John Hyrcanus I cf. I. Noy, The Victory wreath of Hyrcanus I., INR 7, 2012, 31-42; id., Head Decoration Representations on Images du pouvoir et fonctions des souverains Hasmonéens, Revue Biblique 2009, 368-386, esp. 374 on the two cornucopiae with a pomegranate: 'Il s'agit d'un symbole de prospérité et de fertilité agricole, associé au souverain, pour signifier que celui-ci est la garant du bien-être de son peuple.'

John Hyrcanus I, 135-104 BCE. Æ-Prutah, Jerusalem; 2,11 g.

A (Greek letter) above the paleo-Hebrew inscription YHW?NN HKHN HGDL W??R HYHWDYM (Yehohanan the High Priest and the Jews’ Council) within a wreath//Two cornucopiae, between them a pomegranate. Hendin no. 1132; Meshorer, Treasury 201 Group A.

Nearly very fine Overbeck – Meshorer no. 51.

John Hyrcanus I, 135-104 BCE. Æ-Prutah, Jerusalem; 1,93 g.

A (Greek letter) above the paleo-Hebrew inscription YHW?NN HKHN HGDL W??R HYHWDYM (Yehohanan the High Priest and the Jews’ Council) within a wreath//Two cornucopiae, between them a pomegranate. Hendin no. 1132; Meshorer, Treasury 201 Group A.

Reverse off-centre, nearly very fine Overbeck – Meshorer no. 52.

John Hyrcanus I, 135-104 BCE. Æ-Prutah, Jerusalem; 1,72 g.

A (Greek letter) above the paleo-Hebrew inscription YHW?NN HKHN HGDL W??R HYHWDYM (Yehohanan the High Priest and the Jews’ Council) within a wreath//Two cornucopiae, between them a pomegranate. Hendin no. 1132; Meshorer, Treasury 201 Group A.

Nearly very fine Overbeck – Meshorer no. 53.

John Hyrcanus I, 135-104 BCE. Æ-Prutah, Jerusalem; 1,74 g.

YHW?NN HKHN HGDL W??R HYHWDYM (Yehohanan the High Priest and the Jews’ Council) within a wreath//Two cornucopiae, between them a pomegranate; A in the l. field, Π in the r. field. Hendin no. 1133 note; Meshorer, Treasury 202 Group B.

Nearly very fine

Overbeck – Meshorer no. 54.

There are various widely differing proposals how to explain the Greek characters A and Π; they are discussed by Hendin p. 164; cf. also D.M. Jacobson, The Significance of the Caduceus between facing Cornucopias in Herodian and Roman Coinage, in: id. - N. Kokkinos (ed.), Judaea and Rome in Coins 65 BCE-135 CE. Papers Presented at the International Conference Hosted by Spink, 13th-14th September 2010, London 2012, 145-162, esp. 146-148. In my eyes the most simple explanation is to assume that Greek supervisors of the mint have perpetuated the initials of their names on these coins.

John Hyrcanus I, 135-104 BCE. Æ-Prutah, Jerusalem; 2,21 g.

YHW?NN HKHN HGDL W??R HYHWDYM (Yehohanan the High Priest and the Jews’ Council) within a wreath//Two cornucopiae, between them a pomegranate; Λ = A in the l. field. Hendin no. 1133 note; Meshorer, Treasury 202 Group B.

Very fine Overbeck – Meshorer no. 55.

John Hyrcanus I, 135-104 BCE. Æ-Prutah, Jerusalem; 2,66 g.

YHW?NN HKHN HGDL W??R HYHWDYM (Yehohanan the High Priest and the Jews’ Council) within a wreath//Two cornucopiae, between them a pomegranate; Λ = A in the r. field. Hendin no. 1133 note; Meshorer, Treasury 202 Group B.

Fine/very fine Overbeck – Meshorer no. 56.

John Hyrcanus I, 135-104 BCE. Æ-Prutah, Jerusalem; 1,53 g.

YHW?NN HKHN HGDL W??R HYHWDYM (Yehohanan the High Priest and the Jews’ Council) within a wreath//Two cornucopiae, between them a pomegranate; monogram of A and Π in the l. field. Hendin no. 1133b; Meshorer, Treasury 202 Group B.

Nearly very fine Overbeck – Meshorer no. 57.

John Hyrcanus I, 135-104 BCE. Æ-Prutah, Jerusalem; 2,32 g.

YHW?NN HKHN HGDL W??R HYHWDYM (Yehohanan the High Priest and the Jews’ Council) within a wreath//Two cornucopiae, between them a pomegranate; monogram of A and Π in the l. field. Hendin no. 1133b; Meshorer, Treasury 202 Group B.

Very fine Overbeck – Meshorer no. 58.

John Hyrcanus I, 135-104 BCE. Æ-Prutah, Jerusalem; 2,06 g.

YHW?NN HKHN HGDL W??R HYHWDYM (Yehohanan the High Priest and the Jews’ Council) within a wreath//Two cornucopiae, between them a pomegranate; Π in the l. field. Hendin no. 1133b; Meshorer, Treasury 202 Group B.

Very fine Overbeck – Meshorer no. 59.

John Hyrcanus I, 135-104 BCE. Half-Prutah, Jerusalem; 1,11 g.

YHW?NN HKHN HGDL above a palm frond, W??R HYHWDYM below it (Yehohanan the High Priest and the Jews’ Council)//A blossom of a lily flanked by two ears of grain, A in the l. field. Hendin no. 1134; Meshorer, Treasury 203 Group C.

Nearly very fine

Overbeck – Meshorer no. 60.

Cf. Lykke 44, who falling back on Romanoff 50 f. discusses the problem whether the depicted flower is to be identified with a lily or a rose. At any rate, the representation of the lily seems to be influenced by Rhodian coins which show a rose. For the meaning of the lily cf. Romanoff 45-51 and Lykke 45 f. who characterises the symbol's development from a 'sign of Judaea and Jerusalem' to a 'central image ... within Jewish coin iconography'. It may be sufficient to cite verse 14.6 from the Book of Hosea: 'I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.'